Chapter 716
Sea Monster! Sea Monster!
At the Spirit Tower, there had been many discussions about the new Queen of Avalon.
The students generally concluded that she was a ruthless, exceptionally acting, iron-blooded and decisive, and highly aggressive monarch… the complete opposite of the previous generation’s queen.
Many called her a madwoman. Because by normal international standards, even if she had been truly targeted, retaliating with months of military action would have been impossible… especially when Star Antimony’s military strength and top-tier powerhouses were far superior to Avalon’s.
The iron-blooded queen’s decisiveness instilled fear in the Star Antimony people.
Although the Gryphon Legion did not attack civilians and consistently targeted high-value objectives, the Necromancer Academy, the sole breeding ground for necromancers and a territory of the Dark Aspect, the Spirit Tower, was unfortunately included among these “high-value targets.”
The Spirit Tower’s barrier could barely protect them, yet the crackling lightning strikes that scoured the land left them too afraid to leave for a long time. Many outdoor facilities were destroyed as a result. Not to mention the undead and spirits that roamed freely outside…
The Spirit Tower, once a place of deathly stillness, permeated by white mist, filled with the screams and wails of wronged souls, and so dark one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face, had now become a place of blue skies, white clouds, and verdant grasslands outside.
Even when sleeping in their dormitories, they could hear the whistling sound of gryphons flying overhead. This was followed by thunder and then a power outage – the Necromancer Academy now also used electric lights and telephones.
It was only because the gryphons had not attacked civilians that the Star Antimony people could continue their normal lives and work.
— However, Avalon proved one thing.
That is… “What if they attacked civilians?”
They had demonstrated that they indeed possessed the capability, and this queen was truly capable of such acts. Five years ago, the students at the Spirit Tower’s evaluation of Avalon was generally, “a weak and backward knightly nation, already fit for the trash heap of the old era,” “an easily defeated tin can,” “a self-important, self-corrupt, and fragile toy that would shatter with a touch.”… Now, the students’ evaluation was, “I don’t want to go to war with the Avalonians,” “I’d rather face the Iris people.”
To elicit fear from the Star Antimony people without provoking their resistance consciousness – this was even more difficult than conquering them. If the Avalonians had truly retaliated without regard for the consequences, the Star Antimony people would have certainly harbored hatred towards them… But the Avalonians displayed their prowess, hinted at their power… yet also left them some face, and did not truly harm them.
As a result, the Star Antimony people instead chose to retreat.
If they considered Avalon as a hypothetical enemy, even enlisting soldiers would face resistance – because no one wanted their homeland to be air-raided by the Gryphon Legion as soon as they went to the front lines.
— The threat of deterrence, held back but not unleashed, was far more menacing than a launched forbidden spell.
And all of this was figured out by this half-elf queen, who was only nineteen years old.
Although there were rumors that this was related to Minister of Affairs Eivass… however, that man was recognized as a good person by the Elven Cardinals of the Eternal Church. This was enough to prove that all accusations against his character and morals were rumors… because nothing could prove a person’s true intentions better than Path Power.
So, if Eivass were removed from the equation, people would discover a terrifying fact:
The Queen had been directly or indirectly involved in all major events in Avalon in recent years! And the results of these major events were that power had successfully and completely transitioned to the new monarch, and almost all of the kingdom’s chronic ailments and risks had been resolved…
And Paul finally remembered why the name Alistair sounded familiar… this was none other than the young lady rumored to have a scandalous relationship with “Pope Eivass”!
A formidable woman who fought with the iron-blooded queen over a man… What was she doing in Star Antimony?
Paul hesitated for a long time before finally mustering the courage to tell the professor about “leaking the professor’s and master’s plan.”
He could have kept silent – but if the professor or master eventually found out from elsewhere, he would be in serious trouble.
And now, he could shift the blame to his master… Surrendering when facing an enemy was exactly what she had told Paul.
Strangely, Professor Rasimi did not react much to this. He neither blamed Paul nor questioned him about what he had said.
Professor Rasimi simply nodded, indicating he understood, and ended the topic.
But judging from his flickering gaze and constant tea-drinking, he seemed to be contemplating something as well.
By the time the students at the Spirit Tower finished their “work,” the sky had completely darkened.
After dinner with the professor, Paul found an excuse to leave Professor Rasimi and returned to Dimit.
With nothing else to do, they went to the deck of the cruise ship.
At half-past nine at night, golden moonlight cast a glow upon the black sea.
There were no lights at the bow of the ship, making it pitch black. For ordinary people, this would be a terrifying dark place, but for the two of them, it was an ideal resting spot, perfectly suited for inner peace.
Aside from the gentle lapping of the waves, there was no sound.
Dimit stared blankly at the moon. The usually talkative guy was now curled up in a corner like a shadow, silent – Paul didn’t even need to think hard to know he must be thinking of Miss Alistair. Or rather, the legendary figure from the Empire, “Baroness Beyad.”
As usual, with his secrecy about such matters, Paul did not reveal Miss Alistair’s true identity to his friend who was not good at keeping secrets.
But just then, Paul suddenly heard strange noises.
— Before becoming a necromancer, his extraordinary profession in the Path of Love was “Scammer.”
This profession originated in the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi.
In the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, gambling was prevalent between slaves and masters. Initially, when the Anxi people punished their slaves, not wanting to bear the heavy crime of killing, they would use methods like “drawing lots” to attribute responsibility to fate, viewing the “results of the lots” as divine will.
Later, this simple lottery expanded into various unfair gambles, including card games, dice, and chess. The result was that one party suffered almost no loss, while the other paid with their life.
The highest-level gamble was between a slave and a kind master – it even became a form of entertainment. Whether the slave won and was pardoned as a Free Person, or the kind master won and executed the slave on the spot, it would be met with cheers and celebrations from the people.
It was in this environment that this profession was born… the Scammer.
In the Anxi language, another translation was “professional gambler.” Whether using abilities on slaves or on slave owners, such actions belonged to the chaotic and mad Path of Love.
Paul’s ears could easily distinguish the faces of dice in a cup. Therefore, for him, rolling three sixes was a simple task; he could roll it a hundred times and always get the desired result.
But now, he heard an “abnormal sound” coming from the seabed.
It was a sound entirely different from the waves. It sounded like something was approaching.
And it was becoming clearer and clearer—
Paul’s eyes suddenly widened, and he realized what it was.
“Dimit!”
Without hesitation, he instinctively shouted loudly.
Dimit jolted, jumped up instantly, and pulled Paul along.
Paul’s legs were trembling with fear, making him unable to move properly, so Dimit’s pull didn’t quite work. As a result, they both tumbled away from the sea, towards the interior of the deck—though it was a clumsy fall, they scrambled away and managed to narrowly dodge a sudden attack!
— It was a giant, powerful tentacle.
Paul recognized at a glance that the tentacle was thicker than his waist—its length, even the part above the water, exceeded ten meters!
It slammed against the side of the ship with great force, easily shattering the railing.
Then, another tentacle came—
This time, Paul had reacted.
He raised his hand to shield himself and Dimit, and a yellow earth-colored barrier appeared before them.
It was the Preservation Technique!
The second-tier Preservation Technique had defensive power sufficient to easily withstand rain-like rifle bullets!
— But the barrier, under the seemingly slow strike of the tentacle, had no effect whatsoever!
It wasn’t shattered, nor was it dispersed.
It was the absolute suppression of a superior in the same Path over an inferior!
Dimit suddenly dodged and shoved him to the ground, allowing him to narrowly escape the tentacle’s assault.
With a whistling gust of wind, Dimit let out a scream—his back had been grazed by the tentacle. Blood immediately seeped out, soaking his clothes.
“Dimit, Dimit!”
Paul frantically tried to drag Dimit’s body, but found it impossible.
Then, he saw a scene of despair—
At least a dozen tentacles were raised high, smashing down onto the ship’s deck, shattering it. The terrified screams and roars of people from below pierced through the broken deck.
The wooden structure of the entire ship groaned in agony.
A giant sea monster had embraced the ship from below!
— The entire ship began to shake violently!
(End of Chapter)
